


surrender, surrender, but don't give yourself away

by ashintuku



Series: fox on the run [7]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Mild Language, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-03 15:38:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11535231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashintuku/pseuds/ashintuku
Summary: “C’mon, we got places t’be.”“Where are we even going? Why isn’t Kraglin or Tullk comin’ with us? Can I fly theWarbird?”





	surrender, surrender, but don't give yourself away

“Get’chur head down, boy, or you’ll lose it!” 

Quill ducked, just as Kraglin shot down the thug opposite of them, and the entire room went straight to hell. Yondu pressed his back against the nearest cover, rolling his eyes and swearing out loud at the fact that an arms deal had just gone sour _again_ because his boys didn’t know when to keep their goddamn mouths shut. 

This time it wasn’t even _the_ boy. Now _that_ was surprisin’.

He glanced over to see Quill staring wide-eyed out at the chaos around him, hands over his head and mouth dropped open. It wasn’t his first arms deal; it wasn’t even his first deal gone sour. He’d been comin’ along with them on jobs since he was ten and still flighty as hell. Now he was a little less likely to run off for the first shiny doodad, but still needed to be kept close. The others might not’ve liked it, but it was the damned truth at the end of it. 

Yondu looked around real quick, noticed one of buyers aimin’ stolen contraband right at Quill, and whistled sharp and high. The Ravagers all pressed against the nearest surface as the Yaka arrow sang, its red trail blazin’ behind it as it went through each and every single goddamn idiot who thought they could rip off Yondu Udonta. 

He caught the arrow as it returned to him, warm in his hands, and he shoved it back into its holster and stepped out of his cover easy as you’d please. He walked over to the thug he’d first seen, leanin’ down and picking up the rifle he’d been usin’. 

“Get the product back in its goddamn box, we’re findin’ a new buyer,” he said to the room at large, and after a confused scuffle his crew were movin’ about, picking up fallen weapons and the like and puttin’ them back in their crates. Yondu looked over at Quill, then, snapped, and the twelve-year-old scampered over to him and practically pressed against his side. “Gimme some space, l’il Quill, yer not a damned baby.” 

“But you just killed _everyone in the room_.” 

“Did I, now? Then how are you still breathin’, hm?” He ruffled the boy’s hair none-too-gently, turning to see Kraglin and Tullk talkin’ to one another. Narrowing red eyes, he looked back to Quill. “Get back t’the ship an’ wait fer me, boy. Nothin’ fer ya t’learn at the moment ‘less y’wanna learn a few new curse words.” 

Quill hesitated, and Yondu shoved him towards the docking port where they’d left the _Warbird_. He ran off after he realized Yondu was serious, muttering foully to himself. Yondu snorted as he heard a few choice words aimed at hisself, but didn’t bother callin’ the boy out on it. He then walked over to his first mate and most loyal crew member, hands on his hips as he waited for them to notice his standing there. 

“Cap’n,” Kraglin said soon as he looked over and saw him, standin’ up a little straighter. “We was jus’ talkin’.” 

“Noticed,” Yondu said, tilting his head. “I believe I asked all you gentlemen politely t’gather up the contraband.” 

“Yessir,” Kraglin nodded, swallowing a little tightly. Yondu frowned, about to say something else, when Tullk stepped in. 

“We were just talkin’ about the boy, sir,” he said, folding his arms behind his back. 

“Wha’ about the boy?” 

“It’s all well and good for’im to be learnin’ the specificities of a good trade an’ a bad one – but he’s useless when it comes to the bad ones, sir.” Yondu waved at him to keep going, and Tullk relaxed a little. “All he can do is sit and hope he doesn’t die when things go t’hell. ‘Tisn’t right.” 

“We was thinkin’ maybe he should learn how t’fire a weapon,” Kraglin piped up, then, also relaxin’ as Yondu didn’t immediately whistle the Yaka back out of its holster for their candour. “Just so’s he can look out fer ‘imself, y’know.” 

What they weren’t saying, Yondu knew, was that the crew was talking, _again_ ; because his crew of lowlifes and scum were always talkin’ about the boy and his place on the ship. At times, he was almost tempted to point out that the boy had been on the ship longer than a good few of ‘em, if only by a few days in some cases. But he didn’t, because that was provin’ their point more than his, and he didn’t need that. 

“I appreciate y’both bringin’ this t’my attention. Now if ye would get yer asses back to the task at hand, that’d be real nice.” 

“Yessir!”

“Aye, Captain.” 

He watched them walk off, fingers tapping against his hip as he thought over their words, before sighing and walking out of the cargo bay back towards the _Warbird_. 

He hated it when his crew had actual points. 

~+~

“Alright, Kraglin, here’s what’s gon’ happen. Li’l Quill an’ I, we’re goin’ down to Berhert fer a week. I’m gonna teach the boy t’fire a weapon, an’ I’m doin’ it where he won’t go and blast a hole in the damn ship.” 

Kraglin nodded, and Yondu rolled his shoulders, holding back a wince as his bad shoulder acted up again. 

“Yer gon’ take the crew out on a job I’ve got set up fer ya. It took a bit, but it’s a good job. High payday, lots fer ya t’do, the whole works. It’s gonna take you lot about the week t’get through with it. We’ll meet back after all’s said and done.” 

“Any way for us t’keep in contact with ya, Cap’n?” 

“Comms,” Yondu said, tappin’ the little device clipped to the collar of his jacket. “Check in once a day, tell me how the job’s goin’. If I don’t hear from ya within twenty-four hours, I’m gonna assume you lot fucked up or died, and I’ll come getcha either way.” 

Kraglin nodded again, and Yondu looked away from him; seein’ Quill coming towards them with his little backpack, headphones over his ears and music blastin’ as always. He also noticed a few of the crew – Taserface and Retch, just a couple of the assholes they’d recruited back on Knowhere – watchin’ Quill with sneers or looks of disgust. He pulled his lips back in his own sneer, wishin’ he could shoot the two of ‘em out the airlock, but knowing he couldn’t afford to lose halfway competent crew. 

Benefits of being an exile and all of that. 

“An’ make sure I still got a ship and crew when I get back. If somehow some of these idiots pull’a mutiny while I’m away, I ain’t gonna be happy, Mr Obfonteri.” 

“Yessir.” Kraglin punched his fist to his chest in the salute, turned and walked out of the docking bay; pushing at Taserface and Retch as he passed them by. Yondu snorted; the kid always seemed to know his captain too well. 

“Alrigh’, boy,” Yondu said once Quill was at his side. He looked down, rolled his eyes when Quill didn’t seem to hear him, and yanked the headphones off his head; smirking when Quill squawked and reached up to grab at them. “Listen to yer captain, son.” 

“You’re gonna break them!” 

“Would serve you right, wouldn’t it?” Yondu tugged on the headphones a little harder, seeing the cord grow tight, before he dropped them. Quill caught them in a flail of arms, glaring at Yondu, and the Centaurian snorted again. “C’mon, we got places t’be.” 

“Where are we even going? Why isn’t Kraglin or Tullk comin’ with us? Can I fly the _Warbird_?” 

“Shut up already, brat, or I’m smackin’ yer mouth off of your d’ast head.” He grabbed the boy’s shoulder, draggin’ him along; pushing him in front when they got to the _Warbird_. Quill sat down in the co-pilot’s seat immediately, lookin’ around like it was his birthday or something. Yondu didn’t bother shovin’ him out; just sat in his seat, started up the flight sequence; the ship dropping weightlessly out of the floor when he punched in the code to open the bay doors. They floated out into the black, and he watched from the corner of his eye as Quill scrambled up and pushed himself against the window to look out at the stars. 

They left the _Eclector_ behind, heading towards the surface of the forested planet below. After a little while, he told Quill to sit back down in his seat and buckle up; when he did, he casually spun the ship in a loopdaloop, and Quill laughed high and clear. 

“Liked that, did you?” 

“You _gotta_ show me how to do that!” 

“Maybe,” Yondu said, lazily guiding them down to Berhert. “Depends on if ya do good this week.” 

“What are we doin’?” 

Yondu hummed, finally breaking through atmo and feeling gravity sink into his shoulders again. He glanced at his nav, trying to find the nearest clearing, and aimed the _Warbird_ towards it. 

“Gonna teach ya how to fire a gun,” he said once he started to land, pulling the ship down nice and slow. “Gotta know how to protect yerself when things go to shit, after all. Not like the other day – ain’t no use t’us if ya just hide behind boxes, boy. Might as well let the crew eat’cha, then.” 

Quill flinched, and Yondu held back a sigh. 

“I ain’t lettin’ it happen,” he finally said, looking over at Quill once they were properly landed and the ship was slowly powerin’ down. “You know that. Now c’mon, I wanna find a good place t’start before sundown.” 

They got out of the ship, going into the woods without another word. Quill kept close to him; and if he felt a small hand grab his coattails once in a while, he didn’t make mention of it, merely shortening his stride so that the twelve-year-old could keep up. Once they found a nice clearing not too far from the ship, Yondu walked up to a tree and smacked a disc on the trunk. A target unfolded, a good size, and he stepped back to admire his handiwork before heading back over to Quill. 

He took in the fact that the boy was just at his elbow, now, and wondered if it was normal for terran boys to get so big when they were barely old enough to drink. 

“Alright, boy, I got here a quad blaster. S’a good weapon, easy enough, don’t got much kick to it.” He pulled the pistol out from beneath the jacket, holding it out and showing it to him. “I want ya t’take it apart.” 

“Wait, what?” 

Quill had been staring at the target, holding his hands up as if imagining that he was already firing the blaster. Yondu snorted, indicated for Quill to sit down, and folded himself onto the leafy ground once the boy had done so. 

“You want a weapon, boy?” Yondu said, placing the quad blaster in between them. “You learn it from the inside out. Now take it apart, an’ I’ll tell ya what each piece does and how to fix ‘em if it don’t work like it should.” 

Quill stared at the blaster, wrinkling his nose in thought, before he reached out and started to do just that. 

~+~

Kraglin comm’d in while Quill was sleepin’ that night, curled up in the tent with his back to Yondu and his headphones firmly over his ears. 

Yondu stepped out of the tent, lookin’ up at the starry sky before answering. 

“Y’get there?” 

“Found the compound you was tellin’ me about. Got a good security team, we’re just figgurin’ out how to get around ‘em. Could sure use li’l Quill fer this.” 

“Should’a thought of that ‘fore you mentioned the hole in his education. Now figgur it out, I’m catchin’ some shut-eye.” 

“Yessir.” 

~+~

It took Quill two of the seven days to figure out how to take apart, clean, and put the quad blaster back together in a timeframe Yondu liked. It took him another day to learn how to actually hold the thing without breaking his wrist, and how to stand while firing, and how to move and roll and dodge without blasting a hole in his own damned foot. 

Yondu drilled him, working him until he was sweaty and panting and complaining about cramps. He didn’t let up, though, telling him that it didn’t matter if this was just practice – real life made you just as sore and sweaty, and no one was gonna stop just because he asked them nicely. 

Each night, Kraglin comm’d in like he was supposed to, updating him on the job and whether or not they’d fucked up yet. On the fourth night, Kraglin comm’d in to tell him that they’d lost a crew member. Yondu swore, made sure to ask if they had grabbed the body, and then hung up. He walked away from the tent, staring up at the stars, and punched the tree closest to him. 

He turned around when he heard a twig snap, seein’ Quill standing there. 

“Git back to sleep, boy,” Yondu said after a moment. Quill ignored him, though, walking over to stand beside him. They stood there, staring up at the stars in silence, when Quill finally spoke up. 

“He’ll be remembered with us.” 

Yondu sighed, clenched his teeth, and rested his hand on top of the boy’s head. 

“He’ll be remembered with us.” 

~+~

On the fifth day, Quill was finally allowed to fire the quad blaster. 

He stood the boy in front of the target, positioning his hands and holding them as he told Quill to remember how that felt; remember it, ‘cause fights wouldn’t let you get into position, you just had to fall into it natural-like. 

“Ain’t no enemy around that’ll let you stop and put yer feet in the right place, so it’s gotta be the most natural thing in the world to ya, y’hear me?” 

“Yeah, I hear you,” Quill said, looking at the target intently. Yondu finally stepped back a bit, and Quill pursed his lips and fired. 

He hit the edge of the target. 

“ _Damn_.” 

“Hah!” Yondu laughed, a hoarse sound, clapping his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You thought you’d hit middle immediately boy? Even I didn’t do that when I was learnin’ to control my arrow.” 

“I always kinda imagined you were born with that thing on your head, and you’ve been whistling people to death since you were a baby.” 

“Nah,” Yondu shook his head. “They waited a few years fer that surgery.” 

(He vaguely remembered a different fin, an organic fin, that was bright red and fledgling and his; remembered how it ran down his back and how now all that was left was ragged scars that showed a butchery most animals don’t even suffer.) 

“Try again,” he ordered, then, stepping back. Quill nodded, fell back into position, and fired. 

They spent the rest of the day working on his aim, figurin’ out what he was doing wrong, and every once in a while talkin’. It reminded him of days with Stakar, back when he was freshly out of the cage and given his own freedom; how they would train together and talk together and none of it was strained at all. 

He shook his head from thoughts of Stakar, though; looking at the target to see Quill had inched his way closer to the target. He reached out and lowered the boy’s arms slowly. 

“S’enough fer the day, li’l Quill. Take a break, get some water. Take a piss if ya gotta.” 

Quill nodded, moving to hand the pistol back to Yondu; Yondu shook his head and pushed it back to him. 

“Shouldn’t go wanderin’ without a weapon.” 

“I don’t have a holster, though.” 

“Sure ya do,” Yondu said, unbuckling the quad blaster holster he’d been wearing since they landed. He slapped it into Quill’s hands, smirking at the flabbergasted expression on the kid’s face. “Now _git_.” 

Quill went, disappearing into the trees as he fumbled with the holster and the blaster and everything else in his hands; Yondu snorted as he heard faint curse words, lifting a hand to comm Kraglin. 

“How’s that job goin’, Mr Obfonteri?” 

“We’s got the target – just bringin’ ‘em back to the contractor.” 

“He still in good condition?” 

“Got a concussion but outside’a that we left his face intact.” 

“Good.” Yondu shut off the comm, about to turn back to the tent when he heard something that sounded like a rather large animal and the shriek of a twelve-year-old boy. 

Yondu booked it down the path Quill had gone, whistling the Yaka free as he burst into the clearing. 

Quill stood there, eyes wide, quad blaster in his hands. A large, furry creature was fallen, slumped, in front of him, slowly bleeding out something black and tar-like. Yondu took in the scene, grabbed the Yaka, and slowly holstered it again; makin’ his way to the boy. 

“It came out of nowhere.” 

“S’that so?” Yondu asked, circling the creature. It looked dead as dead could be, and he noticed the point of entry somewhere around its neck. “Aimin’ fer the head?” 

“...I missed.” 

“No shit.” Yondu snorted, kicked at the body, before looking back at Quill. “But it’s down. ...You did good, son.” 

Quill blinked, looking up at him unsurely; hands trembling a bit on the pistol. He lowered it after a moment, and Yondu smirked. 

“...Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” Yondu nodded. He reached out and ruffled the kid’s hair. Peter grinned, rubbing the back of his neck, and Yondu slapped his hand away. “Don’t play with that. You do all you needed t’do? Didn’t piss yer pants, didja?” 

“ _No_ , gross.” 

Yondu shrugged, dragged the kid over to his side, and the two of them walked away from the dead creature. 

“Wouldn’t be the first time, li’l Quill.” 

“You promised never to talk about that again!” 

~+~

By the last day, Quill could almost hit the middle of the target. 

He was still off, and it was somethin’ he promised to work on once they got back to the _Eclector_. Yondu still wasn’t sure he wanted the boy firin’ a weapon on his ship, but they did have a practice range, and he couldn’t deny the boy the right to practice on his own time. So they packed up their bags, got back into the _Warbird_ , and met up with the _Eclector_ exactly where they had left it. 

They pulled up into the docking bay, Yondu slowly shutting the M-ship down and Quill goin’ through his bag to make sure he hadn’t left anything back on the planet’s surface. When they got out of the ship, Kraglin was waitin’ for them. 

“Success?” 

“Nice fat paycheque is waitin’ to be spent, sir,” Kraglin said with a grin. He then looked down at Quill, standing there with his quad blaster on his hip and a grin on his face. “Seems t’me you guys had a success, too.”  


“Kid ain’t terrible,” Yondu said with a shrug. 

“I shot an alien bear!” 

Kraglin blinked, and Yondu snorted, walkin’ away from the two of them slowly. 

“What’s a bear, li’l Quill?” 

“It’s a big, furry animal that’s really scary back on Terra. And I shot its alien cousin dead!” 

“Missed its head, though!” Yondu called back. 

“Dead’s dead!”

Yondu laughed, lookin’ back to see Quill and Kraglin comin’ up behind him. Kraglin grinned, rufflin’ the kid’s hair, and Quill smiled up at them, the happiest he’d ever seen the kid in a while. He patted the boy’s back, walkin’ with the two of them down the hallway and back into the ship proper.

“Fair enough.”

**Author's Note:**

> Uh. Hi! 
> 
> Sorry I'm kinda not the most verbose/responsive person in the world. I really, super appreciate all of the comments you guys have been leaving me. I loved this movie and I love these characters and I wanted to just kinda. Spill my love out into the world and hoped for the best. 
> 
> If you want to ever talk to me about GotG, headcanons, or just to say hi or. I'unno. _Something_. I'm on [tumblr](http://frecklesandsuspenders.tumblr.com/). So. Yeah! 
> 
> Thank you again. <3


End file.
